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For a small city, Swift Current has a large variety of options for shoppers. Both international chains and locally owned businesses call Swift Current home, and visitors and residents alike can reap the rewards of the growing marketplace.

Tim Bugera, assistant property manager of the Swift Current Mall, emphasised that Swift Current has the full complement of shopping franchises that one would expect from a city. "We have a variety of different retail to accommodate pretty much anybody, whatever they're looking for," he said.

" The Swift Current Mall is particularly well stocked, beginning with its tent-pole department store: "We've got a Walmart on site, along with a newly renovated Safeway," Bugera said. "We have lots of fashion retail, a lot of cellular phone options here. If you're looking for shoes, luggage or anything like that, we can accommodate you here, and we have two flower vendors in the mall."

Between retail excursions, busy shoppers will have a variety of choices for food and drink. "We have the Sask liquor store on site, we have many restaurants - if you're looking for fast food, we have it here," Bugera said. "If you're looking for a nice place to dine and maybe have a drink in a lounge, we have a Boston Pizza on the property."

Even within the mall, however, the city's local flavour can be found and enjoyed.

"We also have a local restaurant inside the mall with a lounge," said Bugera. "As of last year, we have a farmers' market in our mall. In the common area at the east end of the mall, we have a place for them where we put out tables every Thursday and Saturday, and it's not just baking and vegetables - they also sell crafts and stuff like that."

Such local retail initiatives can also be found elsewhere in the city, as evidenced by The Sputtergotch Toy Company, a thriving and unique toy store at 113 Central Avenue N.

Sputtergotch is "one of the biggest toy stores in southwestern Saskatchewan," said Garry Koebel, the store's owner and operator. "We are about 2,400 square feet. We're currently carrying around 2,600 individual products, and they're for everyone from newborns to kids that are 110."

Koebel's goal is to provide his customers with options that cannot be found elsewhere. "We deal with a lot of companies that you won't find in a big box store and we try to find little gem of companies that certainly aren't mainstream but have some very interesting products," he said. "We definitely have a focus on quality, play value, and we have everything from infant toys to games, to plush, outdoor toys, costumes, children's books, a candy section and about 30 feet of crafts. So, you name it, we pretty much have it."

In his role as president of the Downtown Business Association, Koebel seeks to make shopping in Swift Current an enjoyable experience for all ages through the city's Market Square. "Market Square is a partnership between the City, Swift Current Tourism, the Downtown Business Association and merchants," he said, "and there is a lot of activity that's going to be happening from June to September every Saturday downtown.

"There's some farmer's markets, there's entertainment and there's going to be a variety of theme days where there's going to be lots of things to draw people downtown to participate in activities, good food and some good shopping."